US20060185756A1 - Fuel supply station information distributing system, fuel supply station information distributing server, and fuel supply station information displaying device - Google Patents
Fuel supply station information distributing system, fuel supply station information distributing server, and fuel supply station information displaying device Download PDFInfo
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- US20060185756A1 US20060185756A1 US11/361,459 US36145906A US2006185756A1 US 20060185756 A1 US20060185756 A1 US 20060185756A1 US 36145906 A US36145906 A US 36145906A US 2006185756 A1 US2006185756 A1 US 2006185756A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- fuel supply
- supply station
- information
- movable member
- fuel
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- 239000000446 fuel Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 394
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 abstract description 33
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 description 42
- 230000008569 process Effects 0.000 description 42
- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 29
- 230000006870 function Effects 0.000 description 6
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 6
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 4
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 description 4
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 4
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000012447 hatching Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 2
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60S—SERVICING, CLEANING, REPAIRING, SUPPORTING, LIFTING, OR MANOEUVRING OF VEHICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- B60S5/00—Servicing, maintaining, repairing, or refitting of vehicles
- B60S5/02—Supplying fuel to vehicles; General disposition of plant in filling stations
Definitions
- the driver of the movable member can recognize in advance the amount of fuel that can be supplied at the fuel supply station when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, through the display device of the movable member on which the fuel supply station information is displayed. Therefore, the driver can readily select an appropriate fuel supply station, and there is no need to stop at several fuel supply stations or to look around a fuel supply station.
- the fuel supply station information distributing server calculates for each movable member a prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, based on information including the remaining amount of fuel of the movable member, the geographical position of the movable member and the geographical position of the fuel supply station, creates the fuel supply station information about an amount of fuel that can be supplied at the fuel supply station to the movable member in consideration of the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and the prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, and distributes the fuel supply station information thus created to the movable member side device.
- a storage amount rate of fuel that is a rate of the amount of fuel storage at each fuel supply station to an amount of fuel required to fill up the movable member may be calculated as the fuel supply station information, and the fuel supply station information displaying device may display a display data indicating the calculated storage amount rate of fuel on a map data.
- FIG. 2A shows a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2B shows an information distributing server according to one embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 8 shows an example in which the fuel supply station information is displayed on the display device of the vehicle.
- FIG. 9 shows another example in which the fuel supply station information is displayed on the display device of the vehicle.
- a fuel supply station information distributing system 10 includes at least one hydrogen vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle 1 ) as a movable member, an information distributing server 3 as a fuel supply station information distributing server, and at least one hydrogen gas supply station (hereinafter simply referred to as a station 2 ) as a fuel supply station, which stations 2 are interconnected to each other through a communication line network 4 and a communication line network 5 .
- the communication line network 4 is established by a wireless network.
- the stations 2 and the information distributing server 3 are connected through the communication line network 5 .
- the communication line network 5 is established either by a wired network or by a wireless network.
- the communication line networks 4 , 5 are preferably dedicated lines, they can be public lines such as the Internet.
- the reservation situations indicate situations about reservations for fuel supply at the station 2 .
- the reservation situations include, for example, the vehicle ID of the reserved vehicle 1 , the reserved amount of fuel supply and the reserved schedule (time). Reservations are made directly from the vehicles 1 or the information distributing server 3 to the stations 2 . Reservations may be carried out through a communication between computer devices. Alternatively, the driver or passenger of the vehicle 1 may contact with a staff of the station 2 through a predetermined communication means such as mobile phone and E-mail, so that the staff updates the reservation situations of the supply station information that is kept in the computer device.
- the information distributing server 3 transmits a request-to-send (message) for the station information in the cognizant area (step S 304 ).
- the area is a geographical range, for example, surrounded by a circle with a radius having a predetermined distance. Therefore, in the case where the communication line network 5 is established by a wireless network, the message of the request-to-send for the station information is transmitted as an electric wave which can reach over the geographical range.
- the network addresses IP (Internet Protocol) addresses) of the stations 2 located within the cognizant area are searched in advance, and the message is multicast to these network addresses.
- the information distributing server 3 then reads out the current geographical position of the vehicle 1 from the vehicle information data base 331 , and reads out the geographical positions of the stations 2 from the station information data base 332 , and then calculates a distance between the vehicle 1 and the nearest station 2 as a minimum distance for the station 2 (station distance). The information distributing server 3 then subtracts the minimum distance for the station 2 from the prospective possible travel distance to obtain the distance difference value of the vehicle 1 , and stores the distance difference value in the vehicle information-data base 331 of the storage device 33 . It is not necessary to use a distance between the vehicle 1 and the nearest station 2 , and a distance between the vehicle 1 and another station 2 may be used in consideration of the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 .
- the communication device 12 of the vehicle 1 receives the fuel supply station information that is distributed from the information distributing server 3 , and ECU 11 causes the display device 14 (fuel supply station information displaying device) to display the received fuel supply station information.
- the display device 14 may display the prospective possible travel distance by the remaining amount of fuel.
- the display device 14 may light on the warning lamp provided at the fuel indicator in the meter panel.
- the wording “priority of emergency is higher than a reference” means, for example, that the distance difference value calculated in step S 309 is smaller than or not more than a predetermined threshold value as the reference. Manner of displaying the fuel supply station information will be described in detail with reference to an application example to be described later.
- the information distributing server 3 starts the fuel supply station information creating process for the vehicle 1 a (process P 609 ). Taking into consideration the prospective possible travel distance and the traveling direction of the vehicle 1 a , the information distributing server 3 does not eliminate any stations 3 . However, of the stations 2 a - 2 e , the effective storage amount at the station 2 c is 0 liter (process P 610 ) because of the reservation from the vehicle 1 e (process P 604 ). The information distributing server 3 then choose the stations 2 a , 2 b , 2 d and 2 e as available stations.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the foreign priority benefit under Title 35, United States Code, §119(a)-(d) of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-047459, filed on Feb. 23, 2005 in the Japan Patent Office, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- The present invention relates to a distributing system, a distributing server, and a displaying device for informing the driver of information about supply capacities of fuel supply stations.
- Conventionally, a car navigation terminal boarded on a vehicle as one example of a movable member has been used to display information about fuel supply stations such as gas stations. For example, Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. Hei-7-320197 (see paragraphs [0012] to [0015] and FIG. 2) discloses a car navigation system in which an onboard display monitor can display necessary information including geographical positions of gas stations and sales information of each gas station, and general information including traffic jam information and tourism information around the gas stations.
- In terms of supply of gasoline, the number and the scale of infrastructures are sufficient with few restrictions, so that information provided for the infrastructure can be applied for the practical use even if such information merely includes geographical positions of gas stations. However, supply of hydrogen gas for a fuel cell vehicle is not sufficient in terms of infrastructure, and therefore at least until the infrastructure of fuel supply stations is well-developed, it is necessary to accurately identify the amount of fuel storage at each fuel supply station and the necessary amount of fuel consumption required for the vehicle to move to the fuel supply station, and to inform them to the driver.
- According to the conventional car navigation system, it is possible to obtain information about geographical positions of fuel supply stations (gas stations) and other information around the fuel supply stations. However, the conventional car navigation system can not identify the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station when the vehicle arrives at the fuel supply station and the necessary amount of fuel consumption required for the vehicle to move to the fuel supply station. In this regard, because of the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and reservations from other vehicles, there may be a problem such that the fuel supply station does not have a sufficient amount of fuel storage to be filled in the vehicle when the vehicle arrives at the fuel supply station.
- In view of the above, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide systems, servers, and displaying devices for identifying and informing the driver of the amount of fuel storage at each fuel supply station when the movable member such as a vehicle arrives at the fuel supply station, so that the driver can arbitrarily and appropriately choose a fuel supply station.
- Illustrative, non-limiting embodiments of the present invention overcome the above disadvantage and other disadvantages not described above.
- It is an aspect of the present invention to provide a fuel supply station information distributing system comprising: at least one movable member side device, each mounted on a movable member, keeping movable member information that is information about the movable member, and updating the movable member information as needed; at least one fuel supply station side device, each installed in a fuel supply station for supplying movable members with fuel, keeping station information that is information about the fuel supply station, and updating the station information as needed; and a fuel supply station information distributing server connected to the movable member side devices and the fuel supply station side devices through a network, creating fuel supply station information associated with each of the movable members based on the movable member information received from one movable member side device and the station information received from the fuel supply station side devices, and distributing the fuel supply station information thus created to the one movable member side device. The movable member information includes a remaining amount of fuel of the movable member and a geographical position of the movable member, and the station information includes an amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and a geographical position of the fuel supply station. The fuel supply station information distributing server calculates for each movable member a prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, based on information including the remaining amount of fuel of the movable member, the geographical position of the movable member and the geographical position of the fuel supply station, creates the fuel supply station information about an amount of fuel that can be supplied at the fuel supply station to the movable member in consideration of the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and the prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, and distributes the fuel supply station information thus created to the movable member side device. The movable member side device is connected to a display device for displaying predetermined information, and causes the display device to display the fuel supply station information upon receiving the fuel supply station information from the fuel supply station information distributing server.
- According to the present invention, the driver of the movable member can recognize in advance the amount of fuel that can be supplied at the fuel supply station when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, through the display device of the movable member on which the fuel supply station information is displayed. Therefore, the driver can readily select an appropriate fuel supply station, and there is no need to stop at several fuel supply stations or to look around a fuel supply station.
- It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a fuel supply station information distributing server which is connected to at least one movable member side device and at least one fuel supply station side device through a network, creates fuel supply station information associated with each of the movable members based on movable member information received from one movable member side device and station information received from the fuel supply station side devices, and distributes the fuel supply station information thus created to the one movable member side device. Each of the movable member side devices is mounted on a movable member, keeps the movable member information that is information about the movable member, and updates the movable member information as needed; and the movable member information includes a remaining amount of fuel of the movable member and a geographical position of the movable member. Each of the fuel supply station side devices is installed in a fuel supply station for supplying movable members with fuel, keeps the station information that is information about the fuel supply station, and updates the station information as needed; and the station information includes an amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and a geographical position of the fuel supply station. The fuel supply station information distributing server calculates for each movable member a prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, based on information including the remaining amount of fuel of the movable member, the geographical position of the movable member and the geographical position of the fuel supply station, creates the fuel supply station information about an amount of fuel that can be supplied at the fuel supply station to the movable member in consideration of the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station and the prospective remaining amount of fuel when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, and distributes the fuel supply station information thus created to the movable member side device.
- Further, the aforementioned fuel supply station information distributing server may calculate for each of the movable members a prospective possible travel distance for which the movable member can move based on the information including the remaining amount of fuel of the movable member, calculate a station distance that is a distance from the movable member to an appropriate fuel supply station based on the geographical position of the movable member and the geographical position of the fuel supply station, create the fuel supply station information in order of movable members having smaller distance difference value that is a value obtained by subtracting the station distance from the prospective possible travel distance of the movable member, reserve the appropriate fuel supply station for supplying fuel to the movable member if the number of fuel supply stations that can offer fuel to the movable member is smaller than a predetermined number, and subtract an amount of fuel to be supplied to the movable member from the amount of fuel storage at the fuel supply station.
- According to the present invention, the fuel supply station information distributing server creates the fuel supply station information in the order of priority from urgent movable members, and makes a reservation for the appropriate fuel supply station if necessary. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an emergency situation such as lack of fuel of the movable member. Further, a reservation for the fuel supply station is made by reflecting reservation situations of other movable members, so as to prevent an inconvenient situation such that the fuel supply station can not afford to supply fuel to the movable member when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station.
- It is another aspect of the present invention to provide a fuel supply station information displaying device connected to the movable member side device included in the aforementioned fuel supply station information distributing system. The fuel supply station information displaying device displays the fuel supply station information when the movable member side device receives the fuel supply station information from the fuel supply station information distributing server.
- In the aforementioned fuel supply station information displaying device, a storage amount rate of fuel that is a rate of the amount of fuel storage at each fuel supply station to an amount of fuel required to fill up the movable member may be calculated as the fuel supply station information, and the fuel supply station information displaying device may display a display data indicating the calculated storage amount rate of fuel on a map data.
- According to the present invention, the driver can readily recognize the rate of the amount of fuel storage at each fuel supply station to the amount of fuel required to fill up the movable member. Therefore, the driver can readily select an appropriate fuel supply station.
- Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.
- The aspects of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail illustrative, non-limiting embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a fuel supply station information distributing system according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2A shows a vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention, andFIG. 2B shows an information distributing server according to one embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing main processes of the information distributing server; -
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a fuel supply station information creating process of the information distributing server; -
FIG. 5 shows geographical positional relations of vehicles and stations and the remaining amount of fuel of each vehicle; -
FIG. 6 shows an example in which the information distributing server creates fuel supply station information; -
FIG. 7 shows an example in which the fuel supply station information is displayed on a display device of the vehicle; -
FIG. 8 shows an example in which the fuel supply station information is displayed on the display device of the vehicle; and -
FIG. 9 shows another example in which the fuel supply station information is displayed on the display device of the vehicle. - Exemplary embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
- In a fuel supply station information distributing system according to one embodiment of the present invention, an information distributing server calculates for each movable member a fuel supply capacity of each fuel supply station at a time when the movable member arrives at the fuel supply station, based on information about the movable member and information about the fuel supply station, and distributes information about the fuel supply capacity (fuel supply station information) to the movable member. Each movable member receives the fuel supply station information and displays it on a display device.
- System Configuration and Outline
- As shown in
FIG. 1 , a fuel supply stationinformation distributing system 10 includes at least one hydrogen vehicle (hereinafter simply referred to as a vehicle 1) as a movable member, aninformation distributing server 3 as a fuel supply station information distributing server, and at least one hydrogen gas supply station (hereinafter simply referred to as a station 2) as a fuel supply station, whichstations 2 are interconnected to each other through acommunication line network 4 and acommunication line network 5. Thecommunication line network 4 is established by a wireless network. Thestations 2 and theinformation distributing server 3 are connected through thecommunication line network 5. Thecommunication line network 5 is established either by a wired network or by a wireless network. Although thecommunication line networks - The
vehicle 1 keeps vehicle information including a remaining amount of hydrogen gas of thevehicle 1 and a current geographical position of thevehicle 1, and constantly updates the vehicle information. When thevehicle 1 receives a request-to-send for the vehicle information from theinformation distributing server 3, thevehicle 1 sends the latest vehicle information to theinformation distributing server 3. When thevehicle 1 receives fuel supply station information from theinformation distributing server 3, the fuel supply station information is displayed on a car navigation screen (display device or fuel supply station information displaying device) and informed to the driver. These functions of thevehicle 1 can be realized by a computer device (movable member side device) mounted on thevehicle 1. - The
station 2 is a hydrogen gas supply station. Thestation 2 keeps station information including the amount of hydrogen gas storage at thestation 2 and a geographical position of thestation 2, and constantly updates the station information. When thestation 2 receives a request-to-send for the station information from theinformation distributing server 3, thestation 2 sends the latest station information to theinformation distributing server 3. Thestation 2 accepts reservations about supply of hydrogen gas from thevehicles 1 or theinformation distributing server 3, and the reservation situations are reflected on the station information. These functions of thestation 2 can be realized by a computer device (fuel supply station side device) installed in thestation 2. - The vehicle(s) 1 and the station(s) 2 are general terms for indicating hydrogen vehicles and hydrogen gas supply stations, and when each hydrogen vehicle and each hydrogen gas supply station are denoted, an alphabetical subscript is given after each numerical number and shown as
vehicle 1 a,vehicle 1 b,station 2 a,station 2 b, and the like. - The
information distributing server 3 is a computer device which functions as a central control host in the fuel supply stationinformation distributing system 10. Theinformation distributing server 3 can be realized, for example, by a personal computer (PC) server. Theinformation distributing server 3 continuously (at a predetermined time interval) sends a request-to-send for the vehicle information to thevehicles 1, and sends a request-to-send for the station information to thestations 2. Theinformation distributing server 3 creates fuel supply station information associated with each of thevehicles 1 based on the vehicle information received from thevehicles 1 and the station information received fromstations 2, and distributes the fuel supply station information thus created to each of the associatedvehicles 1. As shown inFIG. 1 , theinformation distributing server 3 may be installed at a position remote from thevehicles 1 and thestations 2. Alternatively, theinformation distributing server 3 may be installed in thevehicle 1 or thestation 2. In the case where theinformation distributing server 3 is installed in thevehicle 1, thecommunication line network 5 is established by a wireless network. - With reference to
FIG. 2A and when necessary toFIG. 1 , the construction of thevehicle 1 is explained. Thevehicle 1 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 11 connected to acommunication device 12, astorage device 13 and adisplay device 14.ECU 11 is a computer device for entirely controlling thevehicle 1, and especially in this embodiment, controls information transfer between the connected devices. Thecommunication device 12 is a device for sending and receiving information between theinformation distributing server 3 and theECU 11, and realized by a wireless network communication device or the like. Thestorage device 13 stores information received from theECU 11. Thestorage device 13 is realized by a nonvolatile storage such as a hard disk device and a flash memory. Thedisplay device 14 displays information received from theECU 11, and realized, for example, by a car navigation screen. - With reference to
FIG. 2B and when necessary toFIG. 1 , the construction of the information distributing server is explained. Theinformation distributing server 3 includes amain controller 31, acommunication device 32 and astorage device 33. Themain controller 31 functions to entirely control the information distributing server 3 (namely, realizes the information distributing server 3). Themain controller 31 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory. When the CPU executes a program stored in the predetermined memory, the functions of theinformation distributing server 3 is realized by themain controller 31. Thecommunication device 32 is a device for performing a communication between theinformation distributing server 3 and thevehicles 1 and also for performing a communication between theinformation distributing server 3 and thestations 2. Thecommunication device 32 is realized, for example, by a network access device.FIGS. 2A and 2B show only onecommunication device 32. However, twocommunication devices 32 may be employed, each of which associates with thecommunication line network 4 with thevehicles 1 and thecommunication line network 5 with thestations 2. Thestorage device 33 stores information that is necessary for themain controller 31 to function as theinformation distributing server 3. Thestorage device 33 is realized by a nonvolatile storage such as a hard disk device. Thestorage device 33 includes a vehicle information data base (DB) 331 and a station information data base (DB) 332. - The vehicle
information data base 331 is a data base for storing vehicle information aboutvehicles 1. By the control of themain controller 31, the vehicle information is transmitted from avehicle 1 to the vehicleinformation data base 331 through thecommunication line network 4 and thecommunication device 32, and stored in the vehicleinformation data base 331. The vehicle information includes a vehicle ID (identification) number, a remaining amount of fuel, a current geographical position, a traveling direction, geographic features and traffic jam situations. The vehicle ID is an identification number inherent in eachvehicle 1. In this embodiment, the reference signs allocated to the vehicles 1 (1 a, 1 b, etc.) are used. The remaining amount of fuel indicates the amount of hydrogen gas that is currently remained in thevehicle 1. The current geographical position as a geographical position of the movable member indicates a geographical position where thevehicle 1 is currently located. The current geographical position may be the latitude and the longitude measured by GPS (Global Positioning System). - The traveling direction indicates a direction in which the
vehicle 1 currently travels. The traveling direction is used as reference data for associating thevehicle 1 with thestations 2. For example, in an instance whereappropriate stations 2 are selected for thevehicles 1 in order to determine a priority fromurgent vehicles 1 for supplying fuel, not only distances between thevehicles 1 and thestations 2 but alsostations 2 located near in the traveling direction are considered. The geographic features indicate road surface conditions of the road where thevehicle 1 is running. The geographic features include, for example, gradients in the front and rear directions of thevehicle 1. Therefore, it is possible to recognize whether thevehicle 1 is running on a flat road, an uphill road or a downhill road. The traffic jam situations indicate traffic conditions of the road where thevehicle 1 is running. The traffic jam situations include, for example, the speed of thevehicle 1 and the frequency of the brake pedal operation. It is possible to recognize the extent of the traffic jam based on the traffic jam situations. Taking into consideration the geographic features and the traffic jam situations, it is possible to estimate the fuel consumption at which thevehicle 1 is running. The vehicle information may include information such as destination and fuel consumption. - The station
information data base 332 is a data base for storing station information about stations 2: By the control of themain controller 31, the station information is transmitted from astation 2 to the stationinformation data base 332 through thecommunication line network 5 and thecommunication device 32, and stored in the stationinformation data base 332. The station information includes a station ID, an amount of fuel storage, a geographical position, a productive capacity and reservation situations. The station ID is an identification number inherent in eachstation 2. In this embodiment, the reference signs allocated to the stations 2 (2 a, 2 b, etc.) are used. The amount of fuel storage indicates the amount of hydrogen gas currently stocked in thestation 2. The geographical position as a geographical position of the fuel supply station indicates a geographical position where thestation 2 is located. The geographical position may be the latitude and the longitude measured by GPS. The productive capacity indicates the amount of hydrogen gas for which thestation 2 can produce per unit of time. The geographical position and the productive capacity are information inherent in eachstation 2, and they do not change frequently. Therefore, once the geographical position and the productive capacity are sent with the station ID from thestation 2 to theinformation distributing server 3 and stored in the stationinformation data base 332, as long as a change is not made on the geographical position and the productive capacity, theinformation distributing server 3 does not have to update them whenever receives the station information. Further, once thestation 2 sends the station information, it is not necessary to resend the station information as long as a change is not made on the station information. - The reservation situations indicate situations about reservations for fuel supply at the
station 2. The reservation situations include, for example, the vehicle ID of the reservedvehicle 1, the reserved amount of fuel supply and the reserved schedule (time). Reservations are made directly from thevehicles 1 or theinformation distributing server 3 to thestations 2. Reservations may be carried out through a communication between computer devices. Alternatively, the driver or passenger of thevehicle 1 may contact with a staff of thestation 2 through a predetermined communication means such as mobile phone and E-mail, so that the staff updates the reservation situations of the supply station information that is kept in the computer device. - Process of System
- As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 and when necessary toFIGS. 1 and 2 , processes in the fuel supply stationinformation distributing system 10 will be described. Description will mainly be given to the processes of theinformation distributing server 3 instead of explaining about the fuel supply stationinformation distributing system 10. As shown inFIG. 3 , by executing the main processes at a predetermined time interval, theinformation distributing server 3 realizes the fuel supply stationinformation distributing system 10 for informing thevehicles 1 about the fuel supply capacity of eachstation 2. Although the following description states as if theinformation distributing server 3 executes the processes, themain controller 31 actually executes the processes. Therefore, themain controller 31 executes a communication with thevehicles 1 and thestations 2 through thecommunication device 32. When an access is made to the vehicleinformation data base 331 and the stationinformation data base 332, themain controller 31 executes an input-output operation (data read out and writing of data) relative to thestorage device 33. - At first, the
information distributing server 3 transmits a request-to-send (message) for the vehicle information to the area (geographical range) where theinformation distributing server 3 cognizes (step S301). The area is a geographical range, for example, surrounded by a circle with a radius having a predetermined distance, and the message of the request-to-send for the vehicle information is transmitted as an electric wave which can reach over the geographical range. Theinformation distributing server 3 receives the vehicle information from thevehicle 1 which has received the message (step S302). Theinformation distributing server 3 then updates the vehicleinformation data base 331 based on the vehicle information thus received (step S303) Updating is carried outbased on the vehicle ID included in the vehicle information. - Next, the
information distributing server 3 transmits a request-to-send (message) for the station information in the cognizant area (step S304). The area is a geographical range, for example, surrounded by a circle with a radius having a predetermined distance. Therefore, in the case where thecommunication line network 5 is established by a wireless network, the message of the request-to-send for the station information is transmitted as an electric wave which can reach over the geographical range. In the case where thecommunication line network 5 is established by a wired network, the network addresses (IP (Internet Protocol) addresses) of thestations 2 located within the cognizant area are searched in advance, and the message is multicast to these network addresses. Theinformation distributing server 3 receives the station information from thestation 2 which has received the message (step S305). Theinformation distributing server 3 then updates the stationinformation data base 332 based on the station information thus received (step S306). Updating is carried out based on the station ID included in the station information. - By the above processes, the latest vehicle information is stored in the vehicle
information data base 331 and the latest station information is stored in the stationinformation data base 332 respectively within the cognizant area. - Next, the
information distributing server 3 checks if anyvehicles 1 reserve the station 2 (step S307). To be more specific, theinformation distributing server 3 searches the stationinformation data base 332 and confirms whether or not the station information includes reservation situations on which are set vehicle IDs ofother vehicles 1. If there is any reservation for the station 2 (step S307; Yes), then the reserved amount of fuel supply is subtracted from the amount of fuel storage at the reserved station 2 (step S308). To be more specific, the station information in the stationinformation data base 332 is set again such that the reserved amount of fuel supply is subtracted from the present amount of fuel storage and the resulting amount is set as the effective storage amount (the amount of fuel storage reflecting the reservation situations). If there is no reservation for the station 2 (step S307; No), the process in step S308 is skipped. - Next, with respect to the remaining
vehicles 1 which have not reserved astation 2, theinformation distributing server 3 calculates a priority of urgency for fuel supply (hereinafter simply referred to as urgency) (step S309). To be more specific, the following process is executed in order to calculate a distance difference value as an index for indicating the urgency. At first, theinformation distributing server 3 reads out the remaining amount of fuel of thevehicle 1, the geographic features and the traffic jam situations from the vehicleinformation data base 331, calculates a fuel consumption of thevehicle 1 based on the geographic features and the traffic jam situations, and calculates a prospective possible travel distance of thevehicle 1 based on the obtained fuel consumption and the remaining amount of fuel. Theinformation distributing server 3 then reads out the current geographical position of thevehicle 1 from the vehicleinformation data base 331, and reads out the geographical positions of thestations 2 from the stationinformation data base 332, and then calculates a distance between thevehicle 1 and thenearest station 2 as a minimum distance for the station 2 (station distance). Theinformation distributing server 3 then subtracts the minimum distance for thestation 2 from the prospective possible travel distance to obtain the distance difference value of thevehicle 1, and stores the distance difference value in the vehicle information-data base 331 of thestorage device 33. It is not necessary to use a distance between thevehicle 1 and thenearest station 2, and a distance between thevehicle 1 and anotherstation 2 may be used in consideration of the traveling direction of thevehicle 1. - The
information distributing server 3 creates information (fuel supply station information) aboutstations 2 which can offer fuel to thevehicle 1 in the order of priority from urgent vehicles 1 (step S310). The fuel supply station information is created for eachvehicle 1 and stored in thestorage device 33 for therespective vehicles 1. In this embodiment, the priority fromurgent vehicles 1 can be determined from the distance difference value calculated in step S309 such that the smaller the distance difference value, the higher the priority. This means that thevehicle 1 has less remaining amount of fuel to move to thenearest station 2 as the distance difference value is smaller. Process for creating the fuel supply station information will be described later. - The
information distributing server 3 then distributes the fuel supply station information stored in thestorage device 33 to each vehicle 1 (step S311). - The
communication device 12 of thevehicle 1 receives the fuel supply station information that is distributed from theinformation distributing server 3, andECU 11 causes the display device 14 (fuel supply station information displaying device) to display the received fuel supply station information. Thedisplay device 14 may display the prospective possible travel distance by the remaining amount of fuel. For thevehicles 1 of which priority of emergency is higher than a reference, thedisplay device 14 may light on the warning lamp provided at the fuel indicator in the meter panel. The wording “priority of emergency is higher than a reference” means, for example, that the distance difference value calculated in step S309 is smaller than or not more than a predetermined threshold value as the reference. Manner of displaying the fuel supply station information will be described in detail with reference to an application example to be described later. - Therefore, the driver or passengers of the
vehicle 1 can recognize thestations 2 which can offer supply of hydrogen gas, and if a plurality ofstations 2 are displayed on thedisplay device 14 such as a car navigation screen with their geographical position and amount of fuel that can be supplied to thevehicle 1, anappropriate station 2 can be selected, for example, in accordance with the traveling direction and/or the destination. In one embodiment, when the driver of thevehicle 1 selects astation 2 displayed on thedisplay device 14, the car navigation system mounted on thevehicle 1 may guide the vehicle to the selectedstation 2. In another embodiment, if the selectedstation 2 does not stock a sufficient amount of fuel, thevehicle 1 may instruct thestation 2 to produce hydrogen gas. -
FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing a fuel supply station information creating process of the information distributing server.FIG. 4 explains details of the process in step S310 as shown inFIG. 3 . In the fuel supply station information creating process, theinformation distributing server 3 calculates for eachvehicle 1 a storage amount rate of fuel that is a rate of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1, and creates information to be displayed on thedisplay device 14 of thevehicle 1. The fuel supply station information previously includes a map data for the cognizant area. - The
information distributing server 3 initiates a process to create the fuel supply station information in the order of priority fromurgent vehicles 1, that isvehicles 1 having smaller distance difference value (step S401). At first, in accordance with the order of priority fromurgent vehicles 1, theinformation distributing server 3 specifies thevehicle 1 to which is supplied fuel firstly, and eliminates thestations 2 which locate outside the distance range where thevehicle 1 can move by the remaining amount of fuel (step S402). To be more specific, theinformation distributing server 3 specifies the distance range where thevehicle 1 can move based on the current geographical position of thevehicle 1 that is read out from the vehicleinformation data base 331 and the prospective possible travel distance of thevehicle 1 that is calculated in the previous step. The information distributing server then eliminates from the fuel supply station information of thevehicle 1 thestations 2 which locate outside the distance range (does not display thesestations 2 on thedisplay device 14 of the vehicle 1) so as not to allow the driver of thevehicle 1 to select thesestations 2. Thesestations 2 are excluded in the following processes. This is because the vehicle may not reach thesestations 2 regardless of the amount of fuel storage at thesestations 2. - Subsequently, the
information distributing server 3 calculates a prospective remaining amount of fuel when thevehicle 1 arrives at eachstation 2 located in the distance range where thevehicle 1 can move by the remaining amount of fuel (step S403). To be more specific, theinformation distributing server 3 calculates a prospective fuel consumption amount based on the fuel consumption calculated in step S309 ofFIG. 3 and the distance between thevehicle 1 and thestation 2, and subtracts the prospective fuel consumption amount from the present remaining amount of fuel of thevehicle 1 to obtain the prospective remaining amount of fuel when thevehicle 1 arrives at thestation 2. Theinformation distributing server 3 reflects on the fuel supply station information of eachstation 2 the storage amount rate of fuel that is a rate of the amount of fuel storage at eachstation 2 to the amount of fuel required to fill up the vehicle 1 (step S404). The amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 can be obtained by subtracting the prospective remaining amount of fuel calculated in step S403 from the volume of the fuel storage tank that is the fill-up amount of fuel. - Next, the
information distributing server 3 checks if there are anystations 2 that can offer fuel to the vehicle 1 (step S405). This can be made by checking whether the storage amount rate is greater than 0%. If there are somestations 2 that can offer fuel to the vehicle 1 (step S405; Yes), theinformation distributing server 3 checks if only onestation 2 can supply fuel to the vehicle 1 (step S406). If only onestation 2 can supply fuel to the vehicle 1 (step S406; Yes), theinformation distributing server 3 reserves thisstation 2 for thevehicle 1 with the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 that is to be a reserved amount of fuel supply (step S407), because thevehicle 1 can not select anyother stations 2. Theinformation distributing server 3 then subtract the reserved amount of fuel supply from the amount of fuel storage at the station 2 (step S408). To be more specific, the amount of fuel required to fill up the vehicle 1 (reserved amount of fuel supply) is subtracted from the present amount of fuel storage at thestation 2, and the resulting amount is set as the effective storage amount (the amount of fuel storage reflecting the reservation situations). If the number ofstations 2 that can offer fuel to thevehicle 1 is not one (step S406; No), two ormore stations 2 are available and the processes in step S407 and step S408 are skipped. If the number ofstations 2 that can offer fuel to thevehicle 1 is not more than or less than a predetermined number, theinformation distributing server 3 may reserve all thestations 2 or some of thesestations 2. - If any
available stations 2 are not found by the check in step S405 (step S405; No), theinformation distributing server 3 selects one or moreappropriate stations 2 from all thestations 2 located within the distance range where thevehicle 1 can move by the remaining amount of fuel (step S409). Theappropriate stations 2 may be thenearest station 2 or otherconvenient stations 2 in consideration of the traveling direction of thevehicle 1. Theinformation distributing server 3 then reserves the selected station(s) 2 with the amount of fuel required to fill up the vehicle 1 (reserved amount of fuel supply). - Subsequently, the
information distributing server 3 instructs the reserved station(s) 2 to produce hydrogen gas (step S411). To be more specific, theinformation distributing server 3 sends a message for producing hydrogen gas to the station(s) 2. When thestation 2 receives the message, thestation 2 causes a hydrogen gas production device to produce hydrogen gas in accordance with the message. Further, theinformation distributing server 3 reflects for eachstation 2 a rate of the prospective production amount at thestation 2 to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 on the fuel supply station information (step S412). The prospective production amount is obtained by multiplying the productive capacity of thestation 2 that is read out from the stationinformation data base 332 by the time required for arrival. In other words, the prospective production amount is the amount of hydrogen gas that is possibly produced at thestation 2 from the present time to the arrival time (the time when thevehicle 1 arrives at the station 2). The arrival time may be obtained based on the distance between thevehicle 1 and thestation 2 and the traffic jam situations. By the above processes, theinformation distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information for onevehicle 1 and stores it in thestorage device 33. - Finally, the
information distributing server 3 checks whether creating the fuel supply station information for all thevehicles 1 has been completed (step S413). If all the fuel supply station information has not been created (step S413; No), operation returns to step S402 so as to continue the fuel supply station information creating process for thenext vehicle 1. If all the fuel supply station information has been created (step S413; Yes), theinformation distributing server 3 then completes the fuel supply station information creating process. - With reference to
FIGS. 5 through 9 , explanation will be given to an application example, to which the processes of the fuel supply station information distributing system as described above are applied. Particularly, the fuel supply station information creating process shown inFIG. 4 will be described in detail. - As shown in
FIG. 5 ,vehicles 1 a-1 f (six hydrogen vehicles) andstations 2 a-2 e (five hydrogen gas supply stations) are on the map. This map is prepared by showing the vehicle information (particularly, the current geographical position of eachvehicle 1 and the remaining amount of fuel of each vehicle 1) and the station information (particularly, the geographical position of eachstation 2 and the amount of fuel storage at each station 2) on a map data, wherein the vehicle information was transmitted from thevehicle 1, received by theinformation distributing server 3 at given time and stored in the vehicleinformation data base 331, and the station information was transmitted from thestation 2 and stored in the stationinformation data base 332. Thevehicle 1 a has 70 liters of remaining fuel (remaining amount of fuel). Thevehicle 1 b has 100 liters of remaining fuel. Thevehicle 1 c has 100 liters of remaining fuel. Thevehicle 1 d has 100 liters of remaining fuel. Thevehicle 1 e has 20 liters of remaining fuel. The vehicle if has 60 liters of remaining fuel. Meanwhile, thestation 2 astocks 40 liters of hydrogen gas (amount of fuel storage) Thestation 2 bstocks 100 liters of hydrogen gas. Thestation 2 c stocks 90 liters of hydrogen gas. Thestation 2 d stocks 70 liters of hydrogen gas. Thestation 2 e stocks 25 liters of hydrogen gas. It is supposed that each of thevehicles 1 a-1 f has a 100 liter fuel storage tank and 100 liters of fuel can be filled up in the tank. - With reference to
FIGS. 5 and 6 and when necessary toFIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the application example will be described below. The flow chart ofFIG. 6 includes a handling process for handling predetermined processes and a recognition process for verifying and determining facts. -
FIG. 6 shows an example in which theinformation distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information. At first, theinformation distributing server 3 determines the order of priority fromurgent vehicles 1, and in the instance shown in FIG. 5, thevehicle 1 e, thevehicle 1 f, thevehicle 1 a . . . are selected according to higher priority of urgency (process P601). In the step S401 ofFIG. 4 , theinformation distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information in the order ofhigher priority vehicles 1, in which the smaller the distance difference value obtained by subtracting the minimum distance for the station 2 (distance between thevehicle 1 and the nearest station 2) from the prospective possible travel distance of thevehicle 1, the higher the priority of urgency. However, in this application example, the order of priority is determined by not only considering thenearest stations 2 but also consideringstations 2 located in the traveling direction of thevehicle 1. - Next, the
information distributing server 3 starts the fuel supply station information creating process for thevehicle 1 e (process P602). In the step S402 ofFIG. 4 , theinformation distributing server 3 eliminates thestations 2 located outside the distance range, and thesestations 2 are determined in consideration of the prospective possible travel distance. However, in this application example, theinformation distributing server 3 eliminates thestations vehicle 1 e and the traveling direction of thevehicle 1 e. As the result, only onestation 2 c can supply fuel to thevehicle 1 e. Therefore, theinformation distributing server 3 reserves thestation 2 c (process P604). - In this instance, supposing that the
vehicle 1 e has 20 liters of remaining fuel at the moment and the remaining amount of fuel upon arrival at thestation 2 c is 10 liters, the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 e is 90 liters (=100 liters−10 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 c to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 e is 100% (=90 liters/90 liters×100). Theinformation distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information for causing thedisplay device 14 of thevehicle 1 e to perform the information display such as illustrated inFIG. 7 .FIG. 7 is created by arranging the icon (display data) of thestation 2 on the map data.FIGS. 8 and 9 are also created as with the information display ofFIG. 7 . InFIG. 7 , hatching is applied to the own vehicle, that is thevehicle 1 e. An indication is made on thestation 2 c so that the storage amount rate is equal to or more than 100%. The indication of “100%” is used for convenience of explanation, and this may be omitted from the display shown inFIG. 7 . This can also be said toFIGS. 8 and 9 . Thestations stations FIG. 8 . The effective storage amount at thestation 2 c becomes 0 liters (=90 liters−90 liters), and this value is reflected on the station information for thestation 2 c that is stored in the stationinformation data base 332 of thestorage device 33. - Next, the
information distributing server 3 starts the fuel supply station information creating process for thevehicle 1 f (process P605). Theinformation distributing server 3 eliminates thestations stations station 2 c has no effective storage amount (0 liter) by the reservation from thevehicle 1 e (process P607). As the result, only thestation 2 b can offer fuel to thevehicle 1 f, theinformation distributing server 3 reserves thestation 2 b (process P608). - In this instance, supposing that the vehicle if has 60 liters of remaining fuel at the moment and the remaining amount of fuel upon arrival at the
station 2 b is 50 liters, the amount of fuel required to fill up the vehicle if is 50 liters (=100 liters−50 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 b to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 e is 200% (=100 liters/50 liters×100). Theinformation distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information for causing thedisplay device 14 of the vehicle if to perform the information display such as illustrated inFIG. 8 . InFIG. 8 , hatching is applied to the own vehicle, that is thevehicle 1 f. An indication is made on thestation 2 b so that the storage amount rate is equal to or more than 100%. Since the effective storage amount at thestation 2 c is 0 liter, an indication is made on thestation 2 c so that the storage amount rate is 0%. Thestations station 2 b becomes 50 liters (=100 liters−50 liters) and this value is reflected on the station information for thestation 2 b that is stored in the stationinformation data base 332 of thestorage device 33. - Further, the
information distributing server 3 starts the fuel supply station information creating process for thevehicle 1 a (process P609). Taking into consideration the prospective possible travel distance and the traveling direction of thevehicle 1 a, theinformation distributing server 3 does not eliminate anystations 3. However, of thestations 2 a-2 e, the effective storage amount at thestation 2 c is 0 liter (process P610) because of the reservation from thevehicle 1 e (process P604). Theinformation distributing server 3 then choose thestations - In this instance, supposing that the
vehicle 1 a has 70 liters of remaining fuel at the moment and the remaining amount of fuel upon arrival at thestation 2 a is 60 liters, the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 40 liters (=100 liters−60 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 a to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 100% (=40 liters/40 liters×100). Next, supposing that the remaining amount of fuel becomes 60 liters when thevehicle 1 a arrives at thestation 2 b, the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 40 liters (=100 liters−60 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the effective amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 b to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 125% (=50 liters/40 liters×100). Subsequently, supposing that the remaining amount of fuel becomes 50 liters when thevehicle 1 a arrives at thestation 2 d, the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 50 liters (=100 liters−50 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 d to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 140% (=70 liters/50 liters×100). Further, supposing that the remaining amount of fuel becomes 50 liters when thevehicle 1 a arrives at thestation 2 e, the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 50 liters (=100 liters-50 liters). Therefore, the rate (storage amount rate) of the amount of fuel storage at thestation 2 e to the amount of fuel required to fill up thevehicle 1 a is 50% (=25 liters/50 liters×100). - In this instance, the
information distributing server 3 creates the fuel supply station information for causing thedisplay device 14 of thevehicle 1 f to perform the information display such as illustrated inFIG. 9 . Hatching is applied to the own vehicle, that is thevehicle 1 a.FIG. 9 is different in information display fromFIGS. 7 and 8 .FIG. 9 shows storage amount rate by an image classified in accordance with the range thereof, instead of merely reflecting and displaying the storage amount rate. - For example, the
station 2 a is shown by Remark B representing “fill-up available at the moment”, which means that thestation 2 a can afford to supply fuel if thevehicle 1 goes to thestation 2 a soon. To be more specific, Remark B represents the storage amount rate in the range from 80% (not less than 80%) to 120% (less than 120%). Thestations station 2 c is shown by Remark D representing “charge unavailable”. To be more specific, Remark D represents the storage amount rate in the range smaller than 10%. Thestation 2 e is shown by Remark C representing “½ charge available”. To be more specific, Remark C represents the storage amount rate in the range from 40% (not less than 40%) to 60% (less than 60%). In the above explanation, there are no associated remarks for the range from 10% (not less than 10%) to 40% (less than 40%) and the range from 60% (not less than 60%) to 80% (less than 80%). However, if necessary, other remarks may be provided for these ranges. Explanation for the processes for thevehicles - Instead of icon displays such as Remarks A-D, it is possible to distinguish the storage amount rate in accordance with color of the icon, change of the color tone, flashing indication or the like. Further, instead of displaying on the car navigation screen, the storage amount rate may be indicated on the meter panel. In this instance, the information including the amount of fuel that can be supplied to the
vehicle 1 at thestation 2 and the address of thestation 2 may be displayed in a format of a table with or without the storage amount rate. Because the fuel supply station information is displayed on the meter panel that is positioned in front of the driver seat, the driver can readily look at and selectappropriate stations 2. - As described above, the
information distributing server 3 informsvehicles 1 within the cognizant area about the fuel supply capacity for eachstation 2 using the vehicle information and the station information. Therefore, even if a fuel supply environment is insufficient in that the number ofstations 2 and scale of thesestations 2 are small, the driver can drive thevehicle 1 without worry about lack of fuel. Further, because theinformation distributing server 3 receives the station information within the cognizant area at every given time, it is possible to receive information about a newly builtstation 2 and reflects it on the fuel supply station information. - Further, because the
information distributing server 3 receives vehicle information from a plurality ofvehicles 1, it is possible to provide effective information by means of creating information in the order fromhigher priority vehicles 1. Because theinformation distributing server 3 receives station information from a plurality ofstations 2, it is possible to select anappropriate station 2 such as one in the traveling direction or one close to the traveling direction of thevehicle 1. - While the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following embodiments are available.
- (1) In the above embodiment, the
information distributing server 3 transmits the request-to-send for the vehicle information and the request-to-send for the station information within the cognizant area, and receives in response the vehicle information and the station information. However, thevehicle 1 or thestation 2 may transmit the vehicle information or the station information to the predetermined area at every given time. In this embodiment, the driver of thevehicle 1 can receive service for accepting the fuel supply station information from a plurality ofinformation distributing servers 3 located within a given area. Further, it is possible to decrease the amount of data communication on thecommunication line networks - (2) In the above embodiment, the
information distributing server 3 distributes the fuel supply station information at every given time to thevehicles 1 running within the cognizant area. However, thevehicle 1 may transmit a request for the fuel supply station information to theinformation distributing server 3, and in response theinformation distributing server 3 may send back the fuel supply station information. In this embodiment, when the driver of thevehicle 1 recognizes the necessity for supply of fuel, the driver can obtain the fuel supply station information at any time. - (3) In the above embodiment, hydrogen gas is used as fuel. However, other fuel such as gasoline, light oil and natural gas may be used.
- (4) In the above embodiment, vehicle is used as an example of movable member. However, other movable members such as ships and vessels and airplanes may be employed.
Claims (5)
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JP2005047459A JP4373941B2 (en) | 2005-02-23 | 2005-02-23 | Fuel supply station information distribution system, fuel supply station information distribution server, and fuel supply station information display device |
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JP4373941B2 (en) | 2009-11-25 |
JP2006234490A (en) | 2006-09-07 |
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